The British Chamber of Commerce is pleased to invite you to our next discussion on a current business topic: "The value of disagreement! - How winning organisations encourage constructive debate." This will take place on Wednesday 1 July 2015 at 17:00 at KPMG, 39, Avenue John F. Kennedy, L-1855 Luxembourg.

Please spread the word. Tweet, re-tweet and comment using the hashtag #BCCValue

The HR sub-group is keen to bring you events that are relevant to all members, including small businesses and independents that do not have the benefit of a dedicated HR team. As a follow up to previous HR events we are going to look at the importance of disagreement in reaching the best decision. Amazon.com is an example of an organisation that made a conscious decision to promote disagreement via their leadership principles, rejecting social cohesion in favour of respectfully challenging decisions -  even when “uncomfortable or exhausting” (http://www.amazon.jobs/principles). This approach is thought to be a key reason for Amazon’s continued success.

Choose from one of the two workshops below by emailing info@bcc.lu and enjoy a thought provoking evening discussing the value of disagreement and ways to encourage it.

Workshop:  "Deep Democracy" (facilitated by Yvonne O'Reilly)

Nelson Mandela, in his "Long Walk to Freedom" spoke of the value of listening to all the voices of the community in order to gain a better understanding of the issues that divide us and how we can resolve them together.   This workshop builds on the value of hearing all the "voices in the system", including the voices no-one wants to hear!

The approach is inspired by Arnold Mindell's breakthrough work on community conflict, in his book " The Deep Democracy of Open Forums".  The techniques applied can be adapted for groups of any size. The focus is on awareness and appreciation of different viewpoints, feelings and real-life stories so people can learn from each other and grow together.  Join in this interactive dialogue and walk away with new insights and ideas on how to build on differences of opinion, for a more creative and collaborative future.

Workshop:  “Disagree and Commit"  (facilitated by Sarah Battey)

Companies such as Amazon and Intel have made the notion of “disagree and commit” a fundamental part of their company philosophy, creating the expectation that employees at all levels will speak their minds during the discussion of ideas, but fully commit once a decision has been taken – even if they still do not completely agree. See this short video from Stanford University which gives a great introduction to the topic: http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=1642

In this interactive workshop, we will explore how “disagree and commit” works in practice, how an organisational culture can be encouraged in which employees speak up, and where the limitations of this approach are for group decision-making.

The session aims to equip participants with a good understanding of the pros and cons of “disagree and commit”, as well as an exchange of practical ideas and best practices that leaders and other professionals will find helpful when building a “disagree and commit” culture in their own organisations.

This event is generously sponsored by KPMG Luxembourg. PLEASE NOTE nearest parking available at Auchan.

The evening will begin at 17:00 with registration. Welcome and introduction will commence at 17:30 followed by your selected workshop. There will be a short review and the evening will close with cocktails and canapés and as always, the opportunity to meet and discuss with your fellow Chamber Members.

Please let us know if you have any particular dietary requirements.  

The cost of attending this event is: Sustaining Members €20; Business & Individual Members €25 and Non-Members €35. If you wish to attend this event please complete the reservation form.

PLEASE NOTE THAT CANCELLATIONS MUST BE MADE NO LATER THAN NOON MONDAY 29 JUNE 2015. WHERE NO WRITTEN CANCELLATION IS RECEIVED WE WILL HAVE TO INVOICE FOR THE COST OF THE EVENT.